Highland, California
Lucas Reed
Engineer. Author. Builder.
I design rail infrastructure that moves freight across continents, write science fiction about what waits beyond it, build tools to make sense of the present, and photograph the sky when the day is done.
Engineering
Rail Infrastructure
at Scale
Fifteen years in rail means knowing what it costs when a grade crossing goes wrong, what it takes to get a Class I railroad to say yes, and how to deliver complex infrastructure when everyone's schedule conflicts. I run Wilson & Company's West Coast rail practice: freight, passenger, and the politics in between.
Freight & Passenger Rail
Design and delivery of complex rail projects across the Western United States: track geometry, grade separations, double-track programs, and intermodal facilities.
Client Relationships
Deep working relationships with Class I railroads and transit agencies. Bridging the gap between public agency timelines and railroad operational realities.
Business Development
Proposal strategy, pursuit leadership, and contract negotiations on infrastructure contracts from preliminary engineering through final design.
Alternative Delivery
Design-build, CM/GC, and progressive design-build procurement. Coordinating multi-discipline teams through fast-track project delivery.
Fiction
The Book
Shape of Time
Technology
Things I've Built
Engineering problems don't stop at the project boundary. When the right tool doesn't exist, I build it.
Rail Nexus
Real-time flagging coordination portal for BNSF Railway operations. Tracks active flag requests, site contacts, and permit status across live California rail projects. Designed and built from scratch; now deployed on Wilson & Company's enterprise infrastructure.
Rail Production BNSFMission Control
A personal operational intelligence system: financial tracking, health logging, calendar sync, and automated daily briefs. Built to answer the question: what does it look like to run your life like a well-managed project?
Personal OS AutomationFamily Dashboard
A wall-mounted kitchen display for the Reed house. Real-time weather, home automation controls, kids' daily schedules, grocery list sync, and a family calendar, all in a single-page app running on a tablet.
Home SmartThings LivePersonal AI System
A persistent AI assistant connected to my calendar, health data, finances, and creative projects. Not a chat app. An operational layer that knows the context before I need to explain it.
AI AutomationAstrophotography Pipeline
Automated deep-sky imaging workflow using the Seestar S50 smart telescope. Sets up at dusk, runs unattended, pulls finished images by morning.
Astrophotography SeestarAuthor Platform
Design and deployment of my author website, lucasreedbooks.com. Custom design, static hosting, and integrated email list under the "Next Page Press" imprint.
Web Author lucasreedbooks.com →Music
Songs
Acoustic and electric guitar, layered vocals, and a beat somewhere between a campfire and a studio. Somewhere between Tyler Childers and Bon Iver. Songs about real things that happened to real people.
Built in a home studio in Highland, CA, recorded on a condenser mic, layered late at night. The music is personal before it's anything else.
"Good Bye": Debut Single
In recording. Get notified when it's out.
Astrophotography
Space &
Photography
San Gabriel Valley skies, a smart telescope, and a habit of staying up too late. Nebulae, galaxies, and deep-sky objects shot from the backyard in Highland, CA.
Gallery coming soon
Deep-sky images from the backyard in Highland, CA — Seestar S50 Pro
Contact
Get in Touch
Rail projects, creative work, or something else entirely. Reach out.